Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis

The Roman Catholic archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis says he won’t resign despite criticism over the archdiocese’s handling of sexual abuse claims involving priests. Archbishop John Nienstedt made his comments in in a column that will appear in Thursday’s archdiocese newspaper, The Catholic Spirit.

The retired Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Harry Flynn, has resigned as chair of the University of St. Thomas Board of Trustees, the school announced Saturday, becoming the second leader to quit the board of the Roman Catholic school this month amid fresh criticism of their handling of clergy sexual misconduct cases. In a statement Saturday, the school said the board accepted Flynn’s retirement as chair and board member at its regular meeting Thursday. The statement also confirmed the board’s vice chair, the Rev. Kevin McDonough, a former vicar general of the archdiocese, resigned from the board Oct. 4. The statement did not give reasons for Flynn’s or McDonough’s resignation, and university spokesman Doug Hennes declined to comment.